Extra Rounds
by Steel Cat 007
Summary: Collection of one-shots and AUs. Rated T for language. Round 3: The infighter stares at me incredulously, "You're going t' get piss drunk so that ya have a hangover tomorrow." "Exactly."
1. After Match Drink

Summary: Collection of one-shots and AUs. Round 1: Walking 5 miles while carrying 126 pounds of deadweight was _not_ Sendo Takeshi's idea of fun. Especially if said deadweight happened to be a passed-out drunk Russian boxer.

Pairings: Slight Sendo/Vorg? I see it more as a friendship/rival thing, but you can take it however you want.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hajime no Ippo or its characters. Otherwise Vorg and Ippo would be junior featherweights, Miyata would still be at Komogawa Gym, and Vorg would be at Osaka (Sendo's) Gym. Dream fanfic that will_ probably_ never be written.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Stupid Yanoka-han."I say to no one in specific. The weight on my back shifts at the sound of my voice, then goes still again. '_An stupid Vorg fer gettin drunk off his ass._' It was late, probably around two in the morning; the streets deserted. I was pretty grateful for that; the last thing I needed was that damn group of kids coming up to me and asking something stupid.

Like the reason I was carrying a drunk Russian on my back at two in the morning.

I thought about it. Why _was_ I doing this, anyway? I certainly didn't owe the guy anything. Hell, not after the one-sided beating he laid on me for how many rounds. It was just cause both of us had been so damn _desperate_ to win the rematch with Makunouchi. …Damn Makunouchi, it was his fault. Well, at least I had won. Technically. …Well hang on, what the hell's up with that? My _championship_ win, and I don't get it by KO? It doesn't feel like I'm a champ at all. Which is probably why I felt like I lost and Vorg won. Which is probably what led to me inviting him out for a few drinks after the match. Which then led to—

"Nggh…" A groan from the Russian lets me know he's finally –somewhat- conscious.

"Ya still alive, Vorg?" I ask. He doesn't respond for a good thirty seconds, and I was just about to give up when—

"What…" His Japanese is rough and slurred by his accent, courtesy of a rather impressive consumption of booze. He doesn't continue, and it takes me a minute to figure out that your second language probably isn't very easy to speak when you're highly intoxicated. Hell, if he was this bad _now_, then he was _really_ going to hate life tomorrow. '_Well then.'_ I grinned mischievously.

"Payback fer beatin' the shit out of me in the corner."

Again, it takes him a while before he responds, "You—" He pauses, searching his incapacitated brain for the words. "You just—" He stops again, gritting his teeth in frustration. I just grin harder while trying not to laugh. And fail. A small snicker escapes me, which Vorg undoubtedly hears. He rapidly mutters something under his breath that I don't catch.

"You say somethin'?" I ask innocently.

He speaks again, louder this time, and I think it's just random gibberish at first –because, really, he _did_ just drink two guys under the table- but after a moment, I realize he's speaking _Russian_. And pretty damn proficiently, from the sound of it. He starts to carry on a one-sided conversation with his imaginary friend named 'Shendo-sahn', who can apparently understand Russian. I bite my cheek, trying not to burst out laughing. Which is becoming increasingly difficult. It wasn't until I tasted blood that realization dawned on me. It said, 'Hey, Sendo, you really shouldn't be biting your cheek when the inside of you mouth is all cut up from a match!' –Yeah, thanks for the late warning.

"Shit," The curse leaves my lips instantly. Still about a mile away from Granny's, and no way to stop my mouth from bleeding. The taste sticks to your tongue for a while, even if you brush your teeth. It's disgusting, but in the current situation, I don't really have a choice. Vorg had gone quiet at my little outburst, and it wasn't until I felt his head on my shoulder that I noticed. He gets to sleep while I haul him five friggin' miles? To hell with _that_.

"Oi! No sleepin' on my back!" I growl.

A beat.

"Tired," he says simply.

"Ya think _I'm_ not tired, moron?"

"Umm…" He starts intelligently, "No, because… Sh-Sendo-san is… Um…"

"I'm _what_?" He better damn well pick his next words carefully if he doesn't want to get dumped on the sidewalk and left there.

"Is, um… сильно." He says.

"…Haaah?" What was that? Russian again? News flash for you, Vorg: _'I can't speak Russian!'_

"сильно." He repeats simply. Okay. Apparently he forgot he was in Japan, and –guess what- we speak Japanese. Isn't there some kind of… I dunno, limit to how out of it someone can be? '_Maybe I should take 'im to a hospital?'_ Vorg chuckles softly at something he apparently found amusing. _'…Or maybe a mental institute._'

"Sendo-san is сильный тигр." He says. I couldn't really tell because of his accent, but I coulda swore he sounded… sad? Well, at least that was half Japanese. Looks like we're finally getting somewhere. Literally and figuratively. I was only a block away from Granny's.

"So hey," I start, "Granny's place ain't got any spare rooms, so yer gunna have t' bunk with me." I don't get a response by the time I'm to the sliding door.

"Oi." I start to let him down on one side so that I have a free hand to open the door with. It takes a second for it to register after his feet touch the ground, but he pushes off of my back and stands on his own. …Before promptly grabbing me for balance.

Wow, I don't think he's going back to Ottowa for a while.

"Yer in for one hell of a mornin', y'know that?" I mention casually, slinging his arm over my shoulder and half-carrying him inside. I trudge to my room, and –just for the hell of it- drop my hold on Vorg's arm. Ridiculously enough, he flails, but isn't in time to catch his balance. He makes a startled noise as he's about to go down, but I catch the back of his shirt before his face can get acquainted with the floor. He turns, sitting on the floor, and looks up at me '_Damn, his eyes are _really_ blue…_' And it's stupid, and maybe it's the way he's sitting, or maybe has something to do with the way he's looking at me right now, but he looks like a friggin' _puppy_.

And then, either because he saw the look on my face change, or because he was too drunk to even tell, he smiles like an idiot. Which really doesn't help the image I'm getting of a ridiculously cute red puppy with blue eyes. I stare at him for a minute longer. Oh yeah. Futons. Right. I should probably get those.

"Stay. Here." I say to him, turning to head toward the closet down the hall. I slip two futons out as quietly as possible, and head back to my room. Vorg, luckily, hasn't moved from the spot. Actually, he's made himself quite comfortable. Curled up on his side. Like –funny enough- a dog. '_Huh_.' I dig through my dresser for a pair of pajama pants before chucking said pajamas across the room.

Vorg makes a startled noise when he jolts awake, the pajamas sliding off where they had landed on his face. He stared at them curiously, and glanced over at me.

"Ya don't have any other clothes, right? Then wear those." I said, walking over to the light switch.

"Ah-hai." He manages to respond. Amazingly, despite being too drunk to walk, he actually _folds his clothes_ before he slips on the pajamas. Then I notice several really dark bruises on his stomach. Damn. Being pale skinned must make bruises show up more or something. Ifelt a little guilty for a second. The 'for a second' being because he wasn't going to be the only one with a hell of a headache in the morning. I switched out the lights and crawled under the covers, not quite literally passing out within a few seconds.

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A/N: Soooo… My first fanfiction _ever_, and also my first Hajime No Ippo fanfic. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love the series, and I love the characters, because really, where else do you find Takamura humor, pissed off Russians, and a Naniwa Tigers all in one place?

P.S. – I _love_ reviews, good, bad, and critiquing. Good are motivating. Bad let me know I still have room for improvement. And critiquing will make me write the next chapter –hopefully- better!


	2. HALO Round

Hooray for minimum of once-a-month updates! I had started this out as switching first-person perspectives between Ippo and Sendo, but in the end, it became a second-person perspective centered on Ippo. AU because there's no point in the series in which this could physically happen. I had wa~y to much fun writing this.

To my reviewers:

Itwaskindofrandom- As per request, we have Ippo and a longer story~!

Angel Descendant- Actually I'm working on a bar scene prequel to my first chapter.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Ippo's heart hammers against his chest as he sprints, heavy boots resounding through the halls. His entire body protests with every agonizing step, and he has nothing but shear determination to live fueling him onward. He checks for what seems like the thousandth time to see if he has any form of ammunition remaining. And just like every other time, there was nothing. Ippo curses under his breath at his own lack of awareness, and also at the man who had quite nearly just killed him. He takes a quick glance behind him and—

His would-be killer wasn't following. '_This is good! If I could just find a barrack nearby with a weapon, I might _actually_ be able to survive this!_' His pace slows as he reaches the end of the hallway and cautiously moves into the open room. Plain white walls. Gray tile floors. Standard military computers. Huge panels of glass allowing light from the clouded sky to flood the room. A few artificial potted trees and shrubs. Ippo makes sure to scan his surroundings as he goes, crouching to the ground and using the short dividing walls as cover.

Making it to the other side, he finds the hallway splits into two directions. One leads to a weapon storage room, and the other straight outside. Ippo grits his teeth in frustration, wishing he had taken more time to study maps of the building. Finally deciding on the left hall, he breaks into a sprint again –there was no point in being stealthy going down such a narrow hall. Turning the final corner, Ippo can't help but grin and give a small "_Yes!"_ at his newfound good fortune. He approaches the armory, eyes lighting up as he spots his favorite weapon, a simple magnum. He reaches to take the weapon from its rack—

In a blur of motion, something clamps down on his shoulder. Before he can even so much as make a noise of protest, a blade finds its mark on the back of his neck, and everything goes black. Well, for a moment, anyway. It's a bizarre experience, really. To be standing there, watching, as the knife is withdrawn and his body falls limply to the ground. Ippo's attacker watches the body for a moment, as if to confirm the kill, before turning and leaving the small room.

"…Dammit." Ippo mutters, letting his head fall into a rather harsh contact with his controller.

"Ah, sorry, Mokunouchi-san, I couldn't help myself." Vorg says, glancing away from the TV to give Ippo an apologetic smile.

"Hahaha… It's fine, I'm just not very good at this." Ippo waves him off.

"You've only been playing for an hour! You're very good." Vorg objects.

"Y-you think so?" Ippo says sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

The sound of a gunshot out of the dead silence makes both of them jump.

"GAH!" Exclaims a voice.

"Headshot." Another says calmly.

"Miyata, stop yer freakin' camping!" Sendo growls.

"Finding a ledge and sniping from it is a legitimate strategy." The out-boxer says simply, the smirk evident in his voice alone.

"I'm so gunna kill you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Bastard… Makonouchi! Yer comin' with me!"

"Eh? Why?"

"Cause I said so!"

"H-hai!"

Another gunshot rings out, and this time it's Miyata's turn to swear.

"I found you." Vorg says, obviously pleased with himself.

"And? I'm still alive." Miyata's voice is slightly strained as he retreats into a building.

Vorg doesn't say anything in reply, but his expression is one that says '_not for long_' as he gives chase.

"Sendo-san! That's the wrong way!"

"No it ain't! I took this way before!"

Sighing, Ippo decides to follow Sendo rather than his own instincts. He maneuvers up the stairs after him, barely managing to keep the Osaka native in sight. Running to catch up to him, he spots a blur of red snaking around a concrete island on the floor below. '_Aha! So this is a back way into the building Miyata and Vorg were in! So that means Sendo is planning on an ambu-_- _Or… not_?'

"_BANZAI!_" Is all the warning Miyata and Vorg get before Sendo crashes through the window of the second story, catching both of them off guard and in a spray of bullets. Ippo, not knowing what else to do, simply stands there stupidly as Vorg scrambles for the cover of a decorative boulder and Miyata engages Sendo head on with a shotgun. A misfire by Sendo strikes him, reminding him that he's also a participant of the free for all battle. '_Oh, right, I need a DMR right now, not a shotgun. Now which button switches weapons again…?_'

The infighter somehow finds himself throwing a plasma grenade, and -in his blind panic- somehow manages to throw a _second_ grenade in addition to the first one. To Ippo, the rest seems to play in slow motion. Vorg gasps, a few words in Russian fly from his mouth; Ippo can only guess from his tone that they're curses. Miyata and Sendo's voices blend, making it hard to distinguish who says "_Son of a—!" _and who says _'"Oh shit!" _Explosions light up the building's lower floor, blowing out the nearby glass and obliterating the occupants, save for the only one still on the second floor.

All four of the featherweight boxers gape at the screen.

"What," Sendo is the first one to recover, "the hell was _that_?"

"A grenade, obviously." Miyata deadpans, calm facade returning.

"No shit, _smartass_." Sendo stares in suspicion over his shoulder at Vorg.

"I-it wasn't me!" The Russian immediately defends his innocence.

"Ain't me either." Now Sendo narrows his eyes at the counter puncher.

Miyata returns the look says, "As if I'd be stupid enough to throw a grenade and kill _myself_."

An awkward silence settles over the room at the lack of a fourth voice, and all of them turn to look at Ippo. Who is still gaping at the screen, completely dumbfounded at what he had just done. The timer runs out, and the free-for-all ends. The score totals putting Ippo in the lead by a single point,

Vorg exhales as he leans back onto the couch, "I would guess that was revenge for when I killed you?"

"Haha… No, that's…" Ippo's looking down as he toys with his controller, trying to hide the fact that he's practically glowing with a strange sort of satisfaction. He's trying to hide any smile or sign that he was happy, all for the sake of _not_ getting mauled by Sendo, who's sitting on the floor next to him, not three feet away.

"Bwhahaha! That was freakin' _awesome_, Mokunouchi!" Sendo laughs and gives Ippo a –very hard- slap on the back. Ippo feels the heat climb up his neck to his face and allows a sheepish grin. A compliment coming from the same person who had almost killed him only a few minutes ago. '_…And jumped out a second story window yelling "banzai" like a kamikaze.'_

Miyata, however, isn't impressed. "And probably a complete accident."

"Um, that is…" He can't form any kind of intelligent sentence to defend himself.

"A complete accident?" Vorg echoes.

"Well…I –ah, _did_ press the wrong button." Ippo admits quietly.

"Wait, fer real?" Sendo asks in disbelief.

Ippo shrinks back timidly and his voice is even more tiny when he adds, "…Twice."

"Yer shitting me." Sendo says while he stares at the shorter boy with an expression of disbelief. Vorg stifles a laugh. Miyata just looks back to the screen and sighs before asking, "Should we play something else, then?"

Sendo perks up at the question and replies with a menacing grin, "Infection."

"What's 'infection'?" Ippo asks.

"It's similar to… tag." Vorg offers.

"Infection it is, then." After pressing a few buttons on his controller, Miyata leans forward as a countdown begins.

Ippo asks another question, "So how do you know who's 'it'?"

He doesn't get an answer before the timer reaches zero, and everything goes black once again.

When he's next aware of his surroundings, Ippo is inside a building. The walls and floors are made of a beautiful red wood that's turned molten gold by the brilliant lights. In front of him are what look like Zen gardens –they have boulders and raked white sand-, stacked like giant six-foot stairs. Movement catches his eye, and he turns just in time to watch a form clad in green armor slip around the corner. Not knowing if it was friend or foe, Ippo follows cautiously, slowly edging down the hall after the figure. In one smooth motion, he swings around the corner, only to find himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun. His heart skips a beat, he feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and it takes until he hears Miyata's voice that he remembers to breathe.

"Makunouchi."

"Miyata-kun!" Ippo, as one would expect, is beyond happy to see Miyata.

There's a sound of the air being cut. Twice. Three times. Then four.

"Hold _still_, dammit!" Sendo yells in frustration.

"You'll kill me!" Vorg's voice is filled with panic.

"Damn straight I will!"

"Leave," Vorg is running for his life, "-me," his words broken up by his concentration, "-alone!"

"You little—!"

When Ippo finally turns his attention back to his own surroundings once more, he finds that Miyata is nowhere to be found. Panicking, he whips around, looking for anything that was even remotely green. Finding nothing, he starts to move down a hallway-

"Don't move." It's Miyata's voice.

"Miyata-kun! Where did you go?" Relief floods Ippo almost instantly.

"To find a sniping spot. Now stay where you are."

"Shouldn't I find cover?"

Before Miyata can answer, Ippo finds a blur of red is rushing at him. And then past him.

"…Eh?" It takes the boy a moment to process what just happened. "V-vorg-san?"

Ippo turns to find that Vorg has positioned himself just around the corner Miyata disappeared behind. It takes until the Russian crouches down and switches to a sniper rifle for Ippo to realize he's taken up a sniping position.

"Please stay there, Makounochi-san." Vorg says politely.

"U-um, hai?" Ippo confirms hesitantly. '_Why do I have to stand here…?'_

Turning back around, Ippo's heart skips a beat when he sees Sendo's iconic purple armor –Ippo guesses he's 'it'- rushing at him from across the room, sword in hand and ready to strike. He takes aim and releases a spray of bullets at the Naniwa Tiger, only to have him jump impossibly high over them, and keep coming. Ippo has to stop to reload, but Sendo closes the distance before he can fire again. Looking up again, he can only watch as Sendo springs for the kill.

_Bang-bang. _Two shots ring out almost simultaneously. Ippo stares petrified as the purple-clad form drops to the floor with a thud, landing not a foot in front of him.

Nice shot." Says Miyata.

"I should be saying that to you, Miyata-san." Vorg says in return.

"What the hell!" Sendo protests. " Ya can't just go using Mokunouchi like 'es," a pause to find the right word, "-like 'es bait!"

"I-I was bait?" Ippo asks, mortified.

"Ah, well, I wouldn't say-" Vorg starts.

"-Yes, you were." Miyata deadpans. "And he's coming again so just stay where you are."

A shot.

"Like hell yer gunna shoot me again!" Sendo laughs, grinning like a maniac.

"Tch. Watch me." The counter puncher retorts.

"I can get him when he's closer." Vorg says before adding, "Mokunouchi-san, could you move a bit to the right, please?"

"Eh... Ah, hai." Ippo manages. _'I really am just bait.'_

Sendo comes into Ippo's view, accompannied by the sound of another shot from Miyata.

"Bwaha! Ya missed!" The infighter gloats.

Followed by a second shot, this time from Vorg.

"Missed again!" Sendo is again closing the distance between himself and Ippo. Miyata fires again, but Sendo's gotten to close to his side of the room for a sniper-type rifle to be of any use. Vorg takes aim, only to find that Sendo has made a blind spot of Mokunouchi. The Russian frantically searches his head for the right words to warn the Japanese champ to get out of the way.

"Mokunouchi-" He begins.

"Fall back!" Miyata beats him to it.

"O-okay!" Ippo doesn't need to be told twice, turning around and running like hell to the sanctuary of the hallway. Vorg is already out of sight, having retreated on realizing Sendo's strategy. Ippo doesn't make it another ten feet before everything goes black for a second time.

"Gotcha!" Sendo proclaims. He's no sooner managed to down Mokunouchi than Miyata has landed two headshots. Despite having just been killed, Sendo is quite pleased with himself, having had Mokunouchi now join his side of the fight.

"Um, so," Ippo starts, "Am I 'it' now?"

"Well, yes, both of you are." Vorg explains for him.

"Let's slaughter 'em!" Sendo abruptly charges off to wherever he thinks the other two are hiding.

Ippo nods. "So, it's both of us against Miyata-kun and Vorg-san." He starts to follow after Sendo, smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, heart racing at the challenge.

The two infighters would spend the remaining few minutes of the game being completely destroyed by Miyata and Vorg. Sendo would then demand a rematch, and be thouroghly ignored by Miyata. Instead, several games of griffball would commence, and the team would get six hard-earned wins. It would take Takamura bursting into the room at two in the morning for the featherwieght boxers would realize that they had just wasted a full seven hours playing Halo.

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Halo is addicting. Don't underestimate it. Ever. I wanted to upload this for Sendo's birthday, but that didn't work out with my IRL schedule. I'm going to try and update at least once a month! Reviews are my motivation, as this chapter came from Itwaskindofrandom's request~!


	3. Drowning Your Joys

The glasses sound with a gentle 'clink' when the bartender sets them down. Neither of us say a word when ice is scooped into each glass or when the liquer is poured. Strangley, Sendo seems rather displeased with something, and is simply staring into the space in front of him. The drinks are set in front of us - a vivid shade of transparent gold that seems to spark and flicker when I hold the glass up to the light. What exactly the liquid is composed of, however, I'm not entirely sure.

Silently, Sendo raises his glass towards me. My own glass meets it halfway, and we share a wordless toast. I take a slow sip; the drink is sweet. _'Almost like... chocolate?_' I pause to look over at Sendo, who is preoccupied with draining his glass empty. He sets it down with far more force then necessary, and I wince when the glass meets the counter. His face is twisted in disgust, at which I can't help but ask, "You don't drink, do you?"

"Hell no." He answers, "Hate the taste. An' hangovers."

Silence again settles between us. I stare down at my glass, old memories stirred up by a familiar situation. It had been nearly two years since I last had to deal with a hangover. It was the morning after I returned from America, where I had gone for the amateur world championships.

For maybe the first time in my life, I was truly proud. Perhaps overly so, as it caused me to forget Mother's complete disapproval of my boxing. She had always praised my skills in everything but what Coach Ramsus claimed I was a godsend in -boxing. I tilt my glass back to take another drink, only to find it empty. '_...Strange._' I didn't remember finishing the entire thing.

"What 'bout you?"

I can only reply with a rather stupid sounding "Eh?"

"You drink?"

"Well..." I stall, considering how to answer, "You could say that."

I'm about to ask the bartender for another drink when I realize he's American. I inquire of him in my less than perfect Japanese if he speaks English, to which he replies yes. Switching to a more familiar language, I ask, "Do you know how to make an Arctic Mudslide?"

I get a nod in reply. "Two?" the man asks in broken English, gesturing to Sendo. I glance in his direction, and he's staring at me like I've just grown a second head. I can't help but feel a pang of guilt after catching sight of his still badly swollen right eye, and I grimace as I turn back to the bartender. "Two." I confirm.

"The hell was that about?" Comes Sendo's inevitable question.

"Ordering another round of drinks." I start chewing the ice from my first drink, something I tend to do when stressed, tired, or simply in a not overly pleasant mood. I'm surprised when he all he says is, "I bought the first round."

I had been expecting him so say something like 'active boxers shouldn't drink.' As the drinks are again set in front of us, he adds, "These are on you."

I chuckle bitterly at his comment. This time I'm the first one to finish off the glass, setting it down neither hard nor gentle on the bar. Sendo raises an eyebrow, "You weren't kiddin' around, huh?"

"Vodka is originally from Russia." I shrug.

Sendo snorts and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, an' I bet Russia ain't got a drinking age either."

"It doesn't." My reply is instantaneous, nearly cutting him off.

The Japanese boxer goes quiet for a moment before- "Bwahahaha! Right, sure it don't!" He laughs loudly.

I release a small sigh, choosing to remain silent. When the bartender walks by again, I slide my glass across the counter, and the man picks it up without so much as slowing down. My mood at the moment is far from sociable, hence my short replies and antisocial demeanor. I find another frozen mudslide set in front of me.

"...Were you serious?" Sendo finally speaks again.

"Yes." I don't even bother to look at him, choosing to focus on emptying my glass.

"You're not real friendly, are ya?"

"I'm not..." I have to pause the find the right words, "Not myself right now."

"An' lemme guess, it's my fault?"

I decide to be blunt.

"My gym here in Japan will be sending me back to Russia."

Sendo chokes. "What the hell?" The few people at the bar turn when he raises his voice. He drops the volume before he continues, "What's that supposed t' mean?"

"5 matches, 3 wins, 2 losses, 3 K.O. That will be my career as a pro boxer." I finish the last of my drink.

"You ain't just leavin Japan, but retiring?"

"Yes."

"Wha- you- why?"

"No gym wants a boxer like me." I start chewing ice again. Sendo finally stops asking questions, and part of me gives a sigh of relief. Said part of me is about to ask for yet another cocktail when something collides with the top of my head. Very hard.

A few Russian profanities fly from my mouth at the throbbing pain that sets in. Automatically, my hand presses to what I think is a small bump forming on my head. Before I can even turn to glare at my attacker, however, I find myself in a headlock. With a knuckle grinding into the side of my skull rather painfully.

"Ow! S-stop it!" I whisper harshly, and even though I can't tell at the moment, I'm sure that the few people still in the tavern are staring again.

"What the hell's your problem?" Sendo's voice is strangely calm, but definitely angry.

I resist the temptation to give him a thumbs up.

"What problem?" I don't bother to hide my irritation in the slightest, letting the venom practically drip from my voice.

"Actin' like it's the friggin' end of the world just 'cause you happened to lose."

"You don't-!" I begin.

"-Shut up an' let me finish, dammit." He interrupts. I again fight back the growing urge to give him a thumbs up. I settle for tapping a finger against my forehead and gritting my teeth.

"I lost to Makanochi, too, y'know." He -finally- releases me, sliding back onto his barstool as if nothing happened.

"...And?" I scratch the back of my neck with my right hand. Sendo doesn't take the hint. Wasn't there a gesture of the same meaning in Japan?

"So rather than sittin' here sulkin', get yer ass back to Ottowa and tell 'em you ain't done yet!"

I tap a finger to my forehead. Again. "...Are you an idiot?"

"Are you tryin' to pick a fight?" He shoots back.

"No." I deadpan. Sendo opens his mouth to say something, but I cut in, "I can't do something like that."

"Wha- wait a minute. Talk to your gym or pick a fight?"

I turn to look him in the eye. "Both."

"And why the hell not?" He returns the gaze.

That catches me completely off-guard. "I... am not in a position to ask that of them."

"Bullshit."

He manages to catch me off-gaurd yet again. "...What?"

"If ya can come to a friggin' foreign country just to box and beat the shit outta Japan's best infighters, then you can sure as hell ask for a damn favor."

"I'm sure the Ottowa gym would love to hear those reasons."

"I'm serious dammit!"

I choose to ignore him, looking away.

"Fine, damnit. Once I'm the featherweight world champion, I'll call you up fer my first title defence."

"Featherweight world champion, ne..." The title I thought was within my abilities. That might still be. But I don't have a choice. ...Right?

"So the next time we fight I'm gunna win by KO." Sendo carries on.

KO. Really. He throws such wide swings and has such a low guard, all I'd have to do to KO him is hang back and wait for a chance to counter and lay on some combos-

"What's that look for?" Sendo interrupts my imaginary KO.

Oh, right. I'd been told by a gym mate once that when I'm running a match scenario through my head I tend to get an intense stare.

"Nothing."

"You're thinking about the rematch, ain't ya?"

"No."

He doesn't say anything back, but stares at me with an expression that says _'Uh-huh._' ...And very sarcastically at that. I avert my eyes to a corner of the room. Which doesn't really help.

"Fine; I was, damn you." I finally say, exasperated.

Sendo turns back to the bar with a satisfied smirk.

"...You're an ass." I turn to the bar as well.

"An' you're in denial."

Part of my self-restraint snaps. "In the small chance that Ottawa Gym actually allows me to stay in Japan, what makes you think they'll let me continue boxing?"

"So you're gunna ask them?"

I choke. And try to form a coherent sentence.

"That's not- I was-!"

Sendo is wearing a sly grin, an amused glint in his eye like he's watching a fish flop on dry land.

"Gh..." Cue facepalm. I turn back to the bar, sliding my glass across the counter for a refill. I can practically feel Sendo's gaze go from me to the glass and back to me again.

"...Are you seriously having another one?"

"Yes. And you're buying."

"Eh? Why the hell would I-"

"-Because it's your fault that I'm not leaving Japan quietly." I interrupt.

"Ya make that sound like a bad thing!" He retorts.

"I need an excuse to not go back to Ottowa for another day or so. Then I have time to find another gym or even just somewhere to stay."

The infighter stares at me incredulously, "You're going t' get piss drunk so that ya have a hangover tomorrow."

"Exactly."

"Y'know what?"

"What?"

"You're friggin' crazy."

"That's your fault too."

A/N: I think Vorg is a patient person, but certain people -coughSendocough- have the ability to make him snap. And then he shows a not-so-nice side, which we don't really get to see in the series. Also, why is Vorg the only one we don't get a full backstory on? Sendo even has a one-shot to himself! Ah, and if you're curious about Vorg's gestures, they're Russian. I noticed when I watched the series over again that Vorg does a lot of talking with his hands in Round 47.

Tapping your index finger to your forehead: I/he/she/this person is an idiot

Scratching the side of your head (or ear) with the opposite hand, from behind your head: Stop beating around the bush/spit it out already

Thumbs up: screw you/up yours (this is basically flipping someone off)

I'm sooooo sorry for the lateness! I had no access to a computer for almost a month... But now I'm BACK! For the moment.

Read, Review, Enjoy, and look forward to some Miyata in the next chapter!


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